Time management is not how much we do, but in 2020 making the most of what we do.
As we deal with “time management,” it causes us to take a step back and look at some things. It causes us to look at what we are doing with our time.
Before we go too far into the new year, consider and ask yourself, “what do I spend most of my time doing? What kind of activities am I engaged in?” And then, “is what I’m doing productive to my spiritual walk in Christ?”
We need to understand that it’s not so much how much we do, because some are doing a lot of things, including myself; but it’s what we do with the time that God gives to us is the question
“Are my involvements healthy for me?” And then, “is it being a blessing to somebody else? Is my time chasing after a dream that I know I will never catch? Is my time spent away from my family where once it is gone, I will never get it back?”
Times when I should have slowed down, took time to sit at the dinner table with my family and engage in good dialogue; times when I, as a parent, should have been at school making sure my child (or children) were being treated the best and given the best education they could possibly get?” and “am I investing in them, are they my priority?” “time management” is not looking to the end of 2020 — it’s just simply taking one step at a time and using that one step wisely.
Now as it relates to time, here are some of the most popular and best TIME quotes:
— The most powerful warriors are patience and time.
— Time is money.
— Time waits for no one.
— Be on time, better three hours too soon, than one minute too late.
— Time is the best teacher. Time is the wisest counselor of all.
— Use your time wisely. Time is what we want most, but what we use the worst … check your priorities … lost time is gone forever.
Charles Richards said this: “don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One man gets only a week’s value out of a year, while another man gets a full year’s value out of a week.”
And lastly, Henry David Thoreau said, “it’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?”
Community, optimize your life in 2020 for the Lord. And then as it relates to God, how much of our time is invested in the Lord’s work? How much of our time is spent in reading and studying the word of God? How much time do we spend in the Bible?
We need to remember, community, that we are stewards of God’s time; let’s don’t be slothful, late all the time and wasting time! The psalmist Moses reminds us that our days are numbered … reminding all of us that we all have just a certain amount of days in which to live. He says, “For 1,000 years in your sight is but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night (Ps. 90:4).” In verse 6 he says, “In the morning like the grass that looks green and pleasant, but in the evening the mower cuts it down and it immediately withers away” … that’s just how short life really is.”
My, how it grieves me to see so many people wasting what little time we have here on earth.
I heard just a couple of weeks ago about several people (some young) that died. Community, if we are going to do anything for Christ, don’t waste time. Moses asked God to give his people the wisdom to make their brief lives happy and productive. Which means we don’t have TIME for foolishness; don’t have time for people who are about foolishness; even if it’s family; walking around angry with things in our heart, that’s a waste of TIME; at odds with other people, with other church members; can’t get along with anybody; missing out on key events in our lives.
“Lord, teach us to NUMBER our days and use them wisely.”
I see this all too often at funerals, when people who neglected their loved ones or let something come between them and they didn’t get a chance to apologize because the loved one died; their hearts are broken and sometimes they don’t get over it.
Community friends, manage your time! It’s a just a few days! Let us be reminded that what we do with our TIME, God will require of us; “what did you do with the TIME that I gave you?” And then community, sometimes we put things off; things that we know we need to do; places we need to go, and people we need to call or visit; “I’ll do it later” is what we say; things that we need to say to somebody but we keep putting it off; words like “you mean the world to me!” or “I’m sorry for what I said!” or say “I love you” to our children and that “Jesus loves you!” … and then they’re gone.
In 2020, let’s INVEST time and not waste it. And that includes when we come to church. Let’s not let one Sunday pass us by that we don’t give God our best worship. That’s a good investment of our time. Let’s manage our time today wisely. It’s God’s gift to us.
The Rev. George Ellis is pastor at Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church.